The rest of the trip, albeit gloomy and awkward, proceeded smoothly. They marched for half an hour before they arrived at the other side of the unusual mountain erected in the middle of the wasteland. From the girl's words, the human camp shouldn't be too far from here, however, entering it wouldn't be as easy as imagined. There is a relatively big bridge which was heavily fortified and always guarded by strong experts.

Vyncent, who wasn't in his best mood ever since the parasites joined, became a bit excited when they got closer to the resistance camp.

"How many survivors are there?"

Arthur first asked Vyncent, who shook his head in response, so he directed his question to the young parasite. This innocent looking girl was more knowledgeable than she looked. Not only did she know how the camp looked, but she was also aware of the defenses put around the entrance.

"You're coming too?" The young parasite curiously asked Arthur, who looked like a Lich. The humans were antagonistic against all the different looking races so they'll surely attack Arthur on sight. She was wondering why he's so brazenly going heading to the camp, appearing quite relaxed.

"What? You can come but I don't?"

As she heard his cold voice, she quickly shook her head and tightened her lips, choosing silence over the satisfaction of her curiosity. In fact, it wasn't only the girl who was intrigued, the other parasites wanted to know how exactly Arthur will enter the resistance looking like that.

Their unasked questions were silently answered by Arthur, who halted his steps and was abruptly shrouded by darkness. When the Dark Magic dispersed, what replaced the undead was a body that looked very similar to Arthur's previous body. He created it using the Dark Cloud and it can't technically be called a host but it worked, nonetheless.

Gawking, the parasites stared at the dark-haired man standing before them, a hideous scar on his left eye while the right one was blood red, like a vampire.

"As per our agreement, you'll manage yourselves once we arrive."

Unfortunately, they couldn't hear his voice for they were too shocked. They genuinely thought he was an undead yet he altered his appearance so quickly and they couldn't feel the previous creepy aura of the previous host. It was truly magical. Parasites have high sensitivity so they can recognize their skin almost immediately but it wasn't the case with Arthur, who was a superior, unique variation.

"Yes, you don't have to worry about us." The slightly older female parasite assured Arthur. The horned parasite, with one hand on his chin, examined Arthur from head to toe before mumbling

"Interesting… not a shapeshifter but maybe a Ratiga?"

He didn't mean as a question and was only talking to himself. He was the only one not afraid of Arthur, showing nonchalantness in his action and words. He was just too engrossed in his own world, pondering about anything unknown.

…

Beyond the mountain, the suffocating weather started cooling down and there appeared signs of snow, surprisingly. The ground was no longer scorched, it became snowy and frozen. The temperature had a drastic change as it plummeted to a dangerous degree, causing Lissandra and the parasites to literally shiver.

In the end, they clustered around Lucy, whose body was emitting a warm heat that melted the snow under her feet.

"It shouldn't be long before we arrive, Arthur."

Vyncent suddenly stopped Arthur, his face showing some hesitation. The bearded youngster didn't whether to speak his thoughts or not. In the end, he convinced himself and resolutely spoke:

"Look… I think it'll be better for me to speak and allow us entry."

His face still expressionless, Arthur retorted: "And why is that?"

"Well… you could be a bit overbearing and I don't think they'll accept a behavior other than respectful."

Actually, Vyncent hit the nail on the head. While it's true Arthur can be respectful, he finds no meaning in being so to random strangers.

"My dear guest, what he said is very, very reasonable. Maybe unwillingly, but you come out as a cold and aggressive person… must be related to your past, which I guess is grim. After all, not everyone can become a Soul Parasite! It's even the first time for me to see such a race and it fascinates me."

Arthur gave no response, he stared at Vyncent for two seconds before continuing his march. The young man sighed but didn't insist, inwardly hoping Arthur would let him lead, just this once.

If they end up provoking the humans, it will be irreparable for this is the only safe place in Riarravar.

Approximatively an hour later, the group arrived at what seemed to be their destination. There was a massive frozen bridge that connected this area to a floating piece of land. Built on that floating land was an equally large fortress that rose to the heavens. There were huge chains coming from the fortress and wrapping around the bridge.

"This is definitely not what I pictured." Vyncent comment while taking a breath of the chilly air.

No wonder the parasites weren't able to defeat the remaining humans. If the bridge is destroyed, there is no way for them to attack the humans. Furthermore, such an enormous fortress is difficult if not impossible to destroy. Even if the Cthulhu decided to eradicate the resistance, it'll cost them dearly.

"The Frozen Keep is what they call it. A fortress built with anti-magic black steel, its walls are thicker than you could imagine. It is truly an unequaled masterpiece, or so I think. I would need at least four of my arms to take it down and, believe me, that's saying something."

Timos spoke to Arthur, sharing his opinion about the fortress before him.

As he stared at this perfectly Frozen Keep, Arthur felt inexplicable easy.

'I don't like it.' Such was his thoughts, contrary to everyone around him, who were amazed and stupefied. The closer he was to it, the more uncomfortable he became. It felt like a prison of some sort.

**************

His surroundings filled with nothing but absolute darkness, something he's very accustomed to. His eyes glowed with a golden radiance, scanning every inch of the small cave he found himself in. His breathing rapid and his bony and thin fingers holding papers that melted with the surroundings.

With heavy steps, he marched deeper into a path at the end of the cave. The only sound was the monotonous banging of his cane each time he took a step. At some time, the cane hit a metal object, causing the old man to halt and curiously look around.

"Ras'va Tik"

He muttered incomprehensible words, causing two small white flames to appear above him, illuminating this narrow corridor. Sadly, the white flames lasted for a few seconds before they dispersed, to the old man's surprise.

He retrieved a small torch from his long black robe then lit it and warily waved it around. He crouched next to one of the metal doors and attempted to open it but they didn't open it, probably because he was physically weak.

"Cunning bastards, you actually hid it here."

He clicked his tongue, massaged his temples while pondering about a solution. After what seemed to be an eternity, he put the torch on the ground and knelt on the ground, his two hands unleashing two whirlpools that landed on the metal door, slowly corrupting it.

Unfortunately, the Dark Magic was also negated, the whirlpools only managed to corrupt a third of the door before their resistance kicked in. However, his unsuccessful try alerted whatever place he was in. Spinning yellow lights appeared at the top of the narrow place he was in. This was followed by a series of strange sounds and dense steam leaking from the metal doors.

Before he could react, the metal doors abruptly opened and several silhouettes sprung from within. They were humanoid and made from a green stone-like material which caused the old man to shake.

The puppet-like figures jumped at the old man, who already prepared a few dark talismans. He swiftly backed away and threw his talismans, slowing down the assailants. His cane emitted a violent light which, at the last second, formed a transparent shield in front of him, blocking the closest puppet.

Nevertheless, the old man was sent flying a few meters, his body rolled on the ground and before he could get up, the green figures jumped at him. Their unbreakable legs and hands hit his body, breaking his bones and cracking his skull.

What they didn't realize was that their target was only a decoy. The real one slipped through their ranks and passed through the metal doors.